Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that he was proud of the fact that he has had a long association with the RSS.
Addressing the crowd at Sree Narayana Mutt at nearby Sivagiri Modi said, “I am proud of the fact that I have been associated with RSS. I have imbibed good values from the RSS.”
He also said that he had place for everyone in his heart.
Modi devoted most of his speech to the role played by spiritual leaders like Sree Narayana Guru in preparing the ground for the national movement and freedom struggle, saying if their ideals had been fully carried out, many problems faced by the country now could have been resolved.
Stating that India today is a “youthful” country where 65 per cent of the population is aged under 35, he said this factor is the nation’s biggest asset for it to forge ahead.
However, uplift of women, depressed and suppressed classes and skill development are some vital areas that needed greater attention to achieve the goals before the nation.
He described Sree Narayana Guru as one who had been a far-sighted spiritual leader, saying his message of “one caste, one religion and one God for men” would provide a solution to problems faced by the present day world, including the scourge of terrorism and global warming.
Narendra Modi is being increasingly seen as a frontrunner for the prime ministerial candidate of the Bhartiya Janata Party in the run-up to the 2013 General Elections. BJP president Rajnath Singh has time and again said that Modi is one of their most popular leaders. However, the party has stuck to its stand that the decision as to who will be their PM candidate has not been taken yet.
—PTI